“I’m fine, really. What about you?”
“I’m all right now.”
“Now, does that mean you weren’t, did something happen?”
“Yes, and don’t panic. I need to see you.”
“When?”
“As soon as possible.” Static and background noise interfered on their line making it hard to hear.
“Of course, when and where?”
“Your place in about an hour. Does that work for you?”
“Yes, it’s okay.” She breathed. “I’ll put up some fresh coffee and—”
More noise, and she finally heard him say, “Angela, I want to take you someplace, so dress in jeans and bring a jacket in case it turns cold later.”
“All right, I’ll see you soon.” Angela disconnected the call. She made herself turn off the lights and sprinted across to the house, Prima at her heels.
Angela fed the dog even though it was early and dashed upstairs to turn on the shower while she stripped. Half an hour later, she was standing before her closet wondering what to wear. She pulled out a comfortable pair of jeans that she knew enhanced her long legs and decided on a white, short-sleeve cotton T-shirt. Pairing it with light sneakers, she grabbed a cotton sweater as an extra layer and managed to get some mascara on her lashes along with the rest on her cheek. She was just taking a last look in the mirror when she heard a vehicle turn into her driveway.
A large black Ford station wagon pulled in, and Angela knew it would was Royce. Opening the door, Prima ran ahead and greeted him first, her paws to his shoulders as she licked his face. By the time Angela got close enough to pull her back, she heard Royce say, “Enough, dog. I missed you, too, but I missed your mommy more.”
She glanced up at Royce who was using the sleeve of his shirt to wipe Prima’s kiss away.
“Royce.” She let out a breath before moving into his open arms. “I’ve missed you,” she said into his chest, unsure if he heard her.
“I missed you too, angel.” He held her crushed to his chest, his fingers tangling in her hair and using it to pull her head back. “God, I’ve missed you.”
His kiss told her he had. It was fierce and demanding, wanting her to surrender. Angela didn’t let herself think, only feel.
She spread her hands over his chest, pinched his shoulders to make sure he was real before using his dark brown hair to pull him closer and to hold him. She let her fingers comb thought his first nonmilitary hairstyle since she’d known him. Even with her breasts crushed against him, she felt her nipples bud to fullness and the heat from his tongue speed directly to her belly, which started that same static feeling she’d missed for so long. He grew against her, and she dropped her hand to stroke him automatically.
He broke their kiss and smiled down at her. “Oh no, Angela. First, we talk.” His lips dropped to her forehead, and neither of them pulled away.
“Royce, what’s going on, why are you here and why now?” Her voice was low, her face turned into his chest. She didn’t know if he heard her, but she had to ask.
“All valid questions. Are you ready to leave?” He pulled back from her and steadied her with his hands on her waist. “I’ve just got to put her in the house.”
“No, put her in the back of the car. She can come with us.”
“All right,” Angela said, confused but agreeable. “I’ll go lock up.”
———
Angela answered Royce’s questions about the family while they drove, all the while wondering where they were going. Half an hour later, after a second turn, she knew. He was bringing her back to the farm, the one he said he wouldn’t buy because it was too near to where she lived. He pulled off the road and stopped the vehicle to drop the old cable before entering. His fingers pulled her chin toward him, and he dropped a kiss on her lips.
“Just a few minutes and I’ll explain everything.”
She nodded and stared straight ahead until he pulled a few yards from the location of the old house. It was gone, and the view from where they sat was extraordinary. Royce let Prima out and met Angela on her side of the car.
“The view, it’s incredible,” she told him and meant it.
“Yeah, the old place just blocked it out.”
“There are trees down too, that’s opened it up a lot.”
“You remember?” The look that crossed between them said it all. Of course she remembered, in vivid detail. “Yes, of course you would. That’s part of why I love you so much.” Royce was obviously testing her reactions and smiled when she slowly turned to look.
“Excuse me?”
“I love you, Angela. Don’t you believe me?”
His brown eyes twinkled, and she relaxed instantly. “Yes, I do, or you never would have said it.”
“You’re right, and I should have said it a long time ago, to myself and to you. But I wasn’t ready.” He looked and laughed, taking her hand. “Come, let’s walk.” He took her toward the far end where the barn had once stood. It too was gone along with the silo. A makeshift lean-to had been put up, and boards and lumber were stacked under it. “Obviously, there have been some changes.” He stilled. “Angela, would you consider moving one last time, here with me, after the new place is finished?”
“Royce…” His name came from her lips with her breath. She simply stared wide eyed at him.
“I bought the old place a few months ago, Angela. I wanted to get everything straight before I came back and asked you to marry me.”
“Marry you?”
“Yes, but isn’t that your line?”
“Yes.”
Royce dipped his head and kissed her properly and fully on the lips before he pulled back.
“That was a whole lot easier I’d imagined,” he told her and laughed. “Angela, I love you and spent four months trying to make myself believe it wasn’t real, no way you’d actually fall in love with me and want to spend the rest of your life with me.”
“How would you know if you didn’t ask?” Her eyes were watching him closely and he laughed again.
“Oh, Angela, I’ve missed you. And I’ll love you until the day I die. Say you’ll marry me and make our home here.”
“Yes, because I’ve loved you all my life and always wanted exactly that.”
“You won’t be upset that it’s not Brooklyn?”
“Brooklyn was where I was born and raised. I’ll always have strong ties to it, but I chose Woodstock to start my life. And now you’ve chosen it, too. This is where we’ll raise our family and start our own traditions. This land, Royce, it’s what you always wanted, isn’t it? A place to call your own, to never have to leave it unless you decide to?”
“Yes, Angela. It just took me a while to get all the pieces together.”
———
He kissed her like never before, with love and tenderness and a kind of passion they’d only briefly shared. They wandered around the rest of the acreage while he told her of some of the improvements he had in mind, including reusing the salvaged lumber on the project. Angela asked questions and seemed stunned when she realized his major plan.
“There’s a rough draft of what I have in mind in the car. We can look at it later. It’s just a starting point. I wanted you to have a say in the house you’re going to live in, too. And I was thinking a separate wing for our offices but wasn’t sure if you’d rather a detached building, what?”
“Speaking of offices, would you like to tell me about Ram McCloud and Agnes?”
He laughed and felt his cheeks heat. “Not really, but I will. Between us, Angel?” She nodded, and he continued. “I’d been shopping the book and thought I had a deal but didn’t want to take the chance something would go wrong. So until the deal was signed, I didn’t tell a soul. I started looking for a place to settle just after. And a few months later, March found me in Woodstock, New York, with my angel waiting for me.”
“When I got it that day, I wanted to talk to you so badly, tell you how proud I was of you and your creative side
. I was truly impressed, Royce Merrill. I went out and bought the other three the next day.” She said it with a self-conscious laugh but held his eye. His fingers tilted her chin toward him and he kissed her full out, releasing her only when his hands started to wander her frame.
At the car, Royce sat on the back tailgate, Angela tucked against him. Prima was wandering in the distance and Angela whistled. The dog came running stopped abruptly and started to chase a leaf.
“She’s still going to get lost, isn’t she?”
“Probably, but she’ll get it right one day. I have faith in her.”
“Like you had faith in yourself to leave Brooklyn and the family behind when the time was right?”
“Something like that,” she admitted to him.
“And you had faith in me, too, didn’t you?”
“There were no other real option. There never has been for me.”
“Following in Nonnie’s footsteps,” he said, “One man for all your life?”
“Yes.”
“Good. That’s what I’ve been hoping for.”
He reached further into the back of the vehicle and pulled out a bag she hadn’t seen hidden behind her seat. Tugging the outside bag off, Royce handed her the large, beautifully wrapped package.
Angela gasped when she saw the box wrapped in silver and blue paper and ribbons, just as she had described in Evangeline’s story. The box was long and slim in her hands, and they shook slightly.
“Go ahead, open it, angel.”
Angela slowly pulled the ribbons off and tore back the paper to reveal a plain white box. She drew a breath before pulling back the cover and letting it fall on her lap. Peeling back several layers of tissue revealed a slim, finely finished paddle. It was exactly as she’d described in volume two, except this one had their initials carved into the handle. A large M in the center of the handle, a smaller R on the left side, and an A on the other. Angela looked at the initials and the drawing of Ram McCloud materialized before her eyes.
Royce slipped the wood from its bed and placed it in her hands, his eyes watching hers. “I trust you not to abuse this, Angela. Do I make myself clear?”
Angela nodded automatically while she studied the object, felt the weight in her hands, how the handle conformed to her palm. She traced the initials that had been elaborately carved with her finger. Royce watched her moisten her lips and a wide-eyed stare over take her face. She swallowed heavily several times before looking.
“Royce?”
“I said I trust you. Isn’t that what everything boils down to, trusting and loving one person for the rest of your life?”
“Yes, I truly believe that.”
“We’ll learn our boundaries together, Angela.” He held her eye and wasn’t so sure that this was a good idea anymore when he saw the smile that crossed her lips. “I’m still the alpha male. Don’t let your imagination get too carried away. I’m a good sport, to a point!” She laughed with him before throwing her arms around his neck. “Consider the paddle a metaphor for our understanding.”
“Thank you, Royce, for loving me and for trusting me.”
“Angela, there are some things that stay between a husband and wife.”
“I don’t want to share you with anyone, Royce. I’ve waited too long to have you as my own.” She stared back at the paddle and bit her bottom lip.
Royce gently took the object from her hands and gave her back the bottom of the empty box, or what she assumed was an empty box. In the bottom corner was a small, white velvet jewelry box. She took it out but didn’t open it. Instead, she studied the container. Royce watched her, slipped it from her fingers, opened it, and took out the object. He took her left hand and slipped it on her finger. “My wife, Angela, forever and just between us.”
“Yes, Royce, my husband forever, and just between us.” She nodded to the paddle on her lap before looking at the one-carat, square-cut diamond that sat on a platinum band. It was a stunning ring, catching rainbows in the fading day light. “It’s beautiful, thank you.” She drew him closer for a kiss that melted away the months he’d been gone before pulling from him abruptly. She looked at the ring on her finger and recognized it. “How?”
“I talked to Tony, told him I was coming here to marry you. We clarified a few things between us. He said he wondered if I’d ever have the balls to ask you.”
She drew back and studied his face. “Tony knew I was in love with you? He never said a word.”
“He told me he knew the day of Nonnie’s funeral when he found me watching you sleep.”
He remembered how he’d followed her upstairs and held her until she’d cried out all her anger and frustration. How he’d lifted her, had placed her gently on her bed, and had sat beside her until she drifted off to sleep. Her eyes were glassy when she ventured to look at him.
Royce used the pad of this thumb to wipe away the stray tear she couldn’t hold back. “He suggested you might like to use Nonnie’s engagement ring. Vito gave it to me this morning.”
“Papa gave you Nonnie’s ring this morning? He knows?”
“Yes, we had a long talk and straightened a few things out between us. The whole family will be here tomorrow for breakfast to celebrate, if Tony can hold them back that long.” She stared with complete disbelief. “Angel, if you want your own stone, I’ll buy you anything that will make you happy.”
“You make me happy, Royce. Being your wife will make me happy. Not jewelry or stones.” She used her fingers to pull his chin closer so she could kiss him. “And if it doesn’t bother you, I’d love to wear Nonnie’s ring.”
“Fine, if you change your mind, tell me. In the meantime, I still wanted you to have an engagement gift from your fiancé.” He pulled a braided chain from his pocket and put it in her palm. Angela used her finger to twist the chain until the three perfect square stones faced her. Each of the three matched diamonds was nestled beside the next, all anchoring the center. Her breath caught in her throat.
“Royce, it’s magnificent,’ she whispered, still almost afraid to touch it.
“Instead of a ring, you have a necklace. A diamond for our past, present, and future. For the rest of my days and beyond if possible.”
“For the rest of my day’s and definitely beyond.”
“Whatever will keep you happy.” He hesitated than gave her his “Major” smile. “The necklace is for public eyes. This is for mine only,” he said as he pulled a smaller object from his pocket and held it in the palm of his hand to take.
Again, a single square stone in a platinum setting only set similar to an earring. He waited until she took it from him, then used both his hands to pull her T-shirt from her jeans and tapped her belly ring.
Angela’s cheeks heated as she lay back and replaced the plain gold ring with the diamond Royce bought her. She reached to him and he let himself drop over her, renewing the contact he’d missed so much. He didn’t resist the urge to palm her buttocks with his hands.
Prima had come back and was asleep beside the car when Royce finally let Angela go. He held her and promised never to let her go again. When she finally broke down and started to cry, he laughed only a bit before handing her a clean handkerchief.
When she composed herself slightly, she picked up the paddle once again. “Oh, Royce, we’re going to have such a good time!”
“Angela, maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. Just holding that damn thing in your hands is getting you all hot and bothered.”
“Yes, and it made your cock surge. I can see you’re about ready to burst the seams.”
He took it from her hands and placed it aside. “Don’t go getting over confident on me.”
“Royce, what Evangeline and Heath experience together isn’t necessarily what I want from you…at least to that degree.” He gave her a questioning look, and she took a cleansing breath. “Whatever our limits turn out to be, we’ll find them together. You of all people know fiction isn’t reality. Besides, I like you as an alpha male. It seem
s right for us.”
“And what is our reality?”
“It’s what we find we’re both comfortable with.”
“And finding those limits?”
“Is going to be a lot of fun!” She laughed again, pulled his face close to hers and dropped a quick kiss on his cheek. “We have to trust each other, and we’ll find our way.”
“I trust you, angel, I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t. Just remember some things are better in moderation.”
“Except how we love each other.”
“Except that. Besides, I have a feeling we’re going to stay pretty busy with your aids and a few I’ve picked up along the way.”
“Really? Show me,” she whispered and felt his cock twitch under her hand.
“Later, after we’re married,” he said with a wink.
“All right, until we can practice with my collection.”
“Angel, two is the start of a collection.”
“Yes, two is, as in the two in that particular drawer. You never asked to open the other one or to look in the closet.” Angela watched his jaw drop and loved him even more. “All right, I don’t have that many, but a few you haven’t seen yet.”
“Did you use them and think of me, angel?” His hand dropped to her crotch, stroking her through the seam of her jeans, pushed the moist material against her lips.
“Yes, I did,” she told him boldly. “But the real thing is much better. I’ll take your flesh over rubber any day. Your cock, your fingers, and especially your mouth.” He groaned and leaned forward to kiss her. When she pulled back, she waited to get his eye before adding, “Royce, I think you better read volume three.”
They both turned and looked at the paddle. Angela gave him the same smile as she had the morning she’d given him his private fashion show. It said, “I’m confident, horny, and know exactly what I want.” He knew exactly what he wanted—Angela as his own, forever.
THE END
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Having been born and raised on Long Island, New York, my husband and l were both eager to leave the urban lifestyle behind and explore our futures. With his encouragement, I’m living my dream of writing romance novels full time.
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